Metro Measure 26-218

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This November, Portland-area voters rejected measure 26-218 with over 57% voting no. The proposal would've funded around 150 transportation-related projects throughout Metro's three county jurisdiction. The means of funding would've been through a 0.75% payroll tax paid by employers. The measure would've funded various pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, electric busses, new bus shelters, bus priority lanes and signals, an expansion of BRT throughout the region, a MAX tunnel study, and perhaps most significantly, an 11-mile extension of the MAX through SW Portland to Tualatin.

Support for the measure seems limited to downtown and the Central Eastside, some of the most progressive areas of the city. The measure saw overwhelming opposition in Eastern Multnomah County as well as Clackamas County, especially in the more rural areas. The measure also failed in SW Portland and Washington County, though by lesser margins. A few areas that seem to break this mold are the neighborhoods of Laurelhurst and Eastmoreland in SE Portland, where the measure failed by fairly strong margins in comparison to surrounding areas of the city. Several areas of Beaverton and Hillsboro also narrowly supported the measure, in contrast to the rest of Washington County.



I thought it would be interesting to compare the results to current light rail stops (shown in blue) and proposed stops for the MAX extension in the SW Corridor (shown in yellow). Areas where light rail stops are currently located seem to support the measure at a higher rate than other areas, with perhaps the notable exception of East Portland and Gresham. It's hard to tell whether the SW Corridor MAX extension proposal had an effect on the area's vote, but it does look a bit less red than areas without light rail. 

I also found it interesting to compare the results to spatial patterns of income. There does seem to be some correlation around the central city, with high income areas like Eastmoreland, Laurehurst, and parts of NE and NW Portland standing out as opposing the measure. However, this pattern stops in East Portland and the suburbs, where both high and low income voters appear to oppose the measure by large margins.


Maps Prepared by Symeon Walker

MapData Sources: Metro RLIS, US Census Bureau

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